Pretty interesting post. Three thoughts come to mind:
1) This seems a bit like "Ready, Fire, Aim" planning. Hopefully, WMATA and MWAA did alternatives analysis when they applied for federal funding.
2) If I was MWAA Czar for a day, I would terminate the station at Dulles instead of having the 2-3 stations in Loudoun. Of course, this would jeopardize the funding commitment from Loudoun Co, so it isn't going to happen but unless a local govt plans on hundreds of millions (or billions) of dollars of investment around the stations, no metro extension for them.
3) If MWAA is considering a people-connector instead of metro-rail to the terminal, why not think broader and study light rail for Rt 28? It could connect to the airport, the Air & Space museum, and the many offices and hotels along the Rt 28 corridor, as well as provide an incentive for infill development along this corridor. It could also connect to I-66.
Does an Airport Line Have to Reach the Airport?
For Washington Dulles Airport, raising the unthinkable on a new rail link.
By Yonah Freemark
January 19, 2012
"Yesterday, Robert Brown, a member of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), suggested rethinking his agency’s planned Metro rail extension out to Dulles Airport, the Washington region’s prime international gateway. Instead of the bringing this $2.8 billion rail link — frequently referred to as the Silver Line — directly to the airport, Brown noted that replacing the final 1.5-mile connection with a people mover would save $70 million thanks to a more limited right-of-way and the construction of one less Metro station.
The Silver Line is an extension of the Washington Metro’s Orange Line and will eventually reach Loudoun County. The first segment of the project, to Tyson’s Corner and Wiehle Avenue, is planned to open for service next year.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the idea was perceived as heresy, both by local commenters and board members. Mame Reiley, one board member, said “I just don’t think that’s what we labored for… it is not rail to Dulles.” Concerns were raised that the federal government might delay the program because the board was “starting over.” And indeed the proposal appears to have been dismissed by the authority board as unacceptable..."
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